Facts About Genital HPV Infection

What is genital HPV? It is one of the most common forms of sexually-transmitted disease that causes genital warts on the private areas for both men and women. There are other variants of HPV that can affect the anal, mouth and throat areas. The worst thing about this is that you can be infected and not know it as the HPV symptoms surface later. Living with HPV genital warts it’s not easy!

Symptoms of Genital HPV Infection

Genital HPV Warts

Some cases of HPV clear on its own with the aid of a strong immunity system, but there are cases when it does not go way when its warts in the throat area, it’s a cervical cancer. This can be accompanied by bumps in the genital area and may be either be shaped like a cauliflower or flat and raised. These bumps can be visible within months or weeks after sexual contact.

What happens if the warts are left untreated? There are three possibilities: it can disappear on its own, increase in number or size or remain as is. For genital warts caused by cervical cancer, you will not detect it until late or it is already in its advanced stage. Other cancerous types are usually found in the oropharynx, anus, penis, vagina and vulva. The person can also get various types of genital HPV; there’s more than one kind.

HPV affects women more than men since they thrive in moist areas. Even children can get these and can affect their respiratory area.

How can you prevent HPV?

One way is by practicing safe sex, and by taking vaccines. Strengthening one’s immune system is very vital in combating the disease. Use condoms during sexual contact as this reduces the chance of catching genital HPV. There are certain vaccines that are recommended for males and females. To detect HPV certain screening must be done so that proper medication can be given to the patient.

Is there any treatment for the virus?

There are no specific treatments for the virus, but there are medications that can prevent it from advancing. Some medicines are designed to make your immunity system strong enough to get rid of HPV. As the saying goes, prevention is always better than the cure. But in some extreme cases surgery is the last resort.

There are 2 main types of treatment for genital HPV warts:

topical treatment, where a cream, lotion or chemical is applied directly to the wart or warts

physical ablation, where the tissue of the wart is destroyed using external forces, such as lasers or electricity

Different people respond to treatments for genital warts in different ways. However, topical treatments tend to work better on softer warts, and physical ablation tends to work better on harder and rougher feeling warts. Sometimes, a combination of topical treatment and physical ablation can be used.

Either type of treatment can take several months to remove the warts, so it is important to be patient and persevere with the treatment.